When You Have Done Your Best

WHEN YOU HAVE DONE YOUR BEST

"10 And when Pharaoh drew near, the children of Israel lifted their eyes, and behold, the Egyptians marched after them. So they were very afraid, and the children of Israel cried out to the Lord. 11 Then they said to Moses, “Because there were no graves in Egypt, have you taken us away to die in the wilderness? Why have you so dealt with us, to bring us up out of Egypt? 12 Is this not the word that we told you in Egypt, saying, ‘Let us alone that we may serve the Egyptians’? For it would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than that we should die in the wilderness.” 13 And Moses said to the people, “Do not be afraid. Stand still, and see the salvation of the Lord, which He will accomplish for you today. For the Egyptians whom you see today, you shall see again no more forever. 14 The Lord will fight for you, and you shall hold your peace.” Exodus 14:10-14.

God had just delivered the children of Israel from the Egyptian bondage. He set them free from the oppression of Pharaoh. The children of Israel were delivered from captivity, and slavery. Finally, they were going to the land of promise. "So God led the people around by way of the wilderness of the Red Sea. And the children of Israel went up in orderly ranks out of the land of Egypt." Exodus 13:18. As they moved out of Egypt, the presence of God was with them. God guided them! He gave them shade from the heat of the desert sun, and a light in the darkest of nights. However, after they left Egypt, Pharaoh began having second thought about letting them go. As the Israelites looked back they saw Pharaoh and his army. Looking ahead, they were confronted by the Sea. They were completely trapped and had nowhere to go. But God had a plan! The Red Sea not only divided, but the children of Israel walked right through it on dry ground. The way Maker created a passage in the Sea and led the people through to safety. He made a way for the children of Israel where there seemed to be no way.

"And when Herod was about to bring him out, that night Peter was sleeping, bound with two chains between two soldiers; and the guards before the door were keeping the prison." Acts 12:6.

The disciples of the Lord Jesus were facing great persecutions. Apostle James had already been killed. So when Peter was arrested and imprisoned, everyone was worried for him. The church even declared a non-stop prayer service for his release. "Peter was therefore kept in prison, but constant prayer was offered to God for him by the church." Acts 12:5. But what do we find Peter doing: he was in deep sleep. How could he in the midst of danger? Peter had the peace that Jesus spoke of in Philippians 4:7, the peace that "passeth all understanding." Are you facing uncertainty today? Receive the peace of God! We can have peace in the midst of the storms.

"43 Now a woman, having a flow of blood for twelve years, who had spent all her livelihood on physicians and could not be healed by any, 44 came from behind and touched the border of His garment. And immediately her flow of blood stopped." Luke 8:43-44.

The unnamed woman with the issue of blood had tried all she could to get well. She had gone to many doctors and specialists over the years. The woman spent everything she had trying to get a cure. The condition left her impoverished. But instead of getting better, her problem got worse. When all else failed, she went to Jesus. The same Jesus is here for you today! When you are faced with difficult situations, seek the Lord. When you've exhausted all your wisdom and efforts, come to Jesus. When you tried everything and don’t know what to do again, fix your eyes on the Lord. Seek Him through prayer, fasting, reading of the Word and worship.

"17 If that is the case, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and He will deliver us from your hand, O king. 18 But if not, let it be known to you, O king, that we do not serve your gods, nor will we worship the gold image which you have set up.” Daniel 3:17-18.

What do you do when you're trying your possible best to live right and still things are going wrong in your life? Have you taken a stand for God but your circumstances is getting worse? Perhaps you're going through a crisis where your faith is being tested. You've prayed God would deliver you from the trials. But it remains! Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were thrown into a furnace because they decided to please God rather than man. Sometimes God will not rescue us from going into a problem but He'll surely intervene in the midst of it. Even when it looked as if He had given up on them they didn't give up on God. At the end He deliver them. Psalm 34:19. God will never abandon us in our trials.